Assam: Massive protest rally by Matak community in Dibrugarh, rejects CM’s call for talks

Dibrugarh witnessed a massive protest rally on September 26 night as nearly 20,000 members of the Matak community staged a large-scale protest, rejecting Assam Chief Minister’s proposal for dialogue. 

The demonstrators intensified their long-standing demand for recognition as a Scheduled Tribe and full autonomy for the community.

The rally marked yet another chapter in the Matak community’s series of agitations across Assam. Leaders and participants emphasized that their movement would continue until the government took concrete steps toward fulfilling their demands.

The Chief Minister had earlier extended an invitation to the leadership of Matak organizations for talks on September 25, following a major protest in Tinsukia. 

However, the community’s rejection of the dialogue proposal has escalated tensions, indicating a widening rift between the government and the community over unresolved issues of identity and rights.

A similar and a large scale protest was earlier carried out by the Moran community on September 6 demanding ST status. 

The rally was spearheaded by the All Moran Students’ Union (AMSU), led by president Pulindra Moran and general secretary Jaykanta Moran, and saw participation from various Moran community-based organizations. Demonstrators marched through the main road of Margherita, voicing their dissatisfaction with what they described as decades of government neglect and deception.

Speakers at the rally asserted that the Moran community has been historically deprived of constitutional safeguards and stressed that Scheduled Tribe recognition is essential for preserving their identity, culture, and development rights. They further emphasized that Sixth Schedule autonomy would empower the community with greater self-governance and control over their socio-economic affairs.

The protestors pledged to continue their agitation until the government takes concrete steps toward fulfilling their demands.